"Huh?" Shadow, seeing Luo Zheng grasp so tightly onto this matter, realized that he must have so ideas. He beca serious and thought carefully. Perhaps the purpose of kidnapping the Emperor was to rescue soone. Although the thod was sowhat radical and dark, not what a true gentleman would do, it wasn't entirely unacceptable. Rescue was the goal; the process didn't matter. He then said, "If it were , I could find where the Emperor lives, but it would be nearly impossible to kidnap him."
After pondering for a mont, Luo Zheng said, "Go find a planning designer. Also, get a floor plan of the palace's defenses and a map of the underground utility networks. I'll need to think this over."
"Okay," Shadow said, seeing that Luo Zheng was not ready to reveal his plan, which wasn't fully ford yet. He agreed and left.
"What are we doing? You're not seriously planning to kidnap the Emperor, are you?" Lan Xue asked in a low voice.
"Is there a problem?" Luo Zheng countered.
"Huh? No problem, it's just that the thod is a bit... Never mind, as long as it saves soone, don't worry about the rest. But you need to be careful not to expose yourself. Whatever we do doesn't matter, but we must not endanger the nation. We are military personnel; death is trivial, but we can't put our country in danger," Lan Xue reminded him.
"Rest assured, I have a plan," Luo Zheng said seriously. He glanced over everyone and then fixed his eyes on the map. After thinking for another mont, he continued, "Xue Er, contact our people back ho and see if we can get so intelligence from inside the prison, even if it's just a list of the guards." Shadow was looking for an individual, whereas Luo Zheng was employing the entire Intelligence Team to infiltrate Japan's relevant departnts. Maybe they could find sothing useful; they would only know if they tried.
Understanding his intention, Lan Xue agreed and left to make the call. Ghost Hand, Snow Leopard, and Mountain Eagle ca over, and Ghost Hand asked, "Deputy Commander, what should we do?" After Luo Zheng's promotion to deputy team leader, their address to him had changed during formal etings, showing respect for his position and seriousness.
Luo Zheng was not used to the new title, but he didn't object; it was just a title, after all. He casually said, "Help out with sothing."
"What is it?" The three of them imdiately beca serious and focused on Luo Zheng.
"You three understand so Japanese, right? Find a warehouse and then scatter to gather things like gasoline and sugar that can burn - the more, the better. But don't arouse suspicion," Luo Zheng instructed seriously.
"Sure," they all agreed in unison, without asking further questions.
"I'll talk to the embassy about the funding and get them to help us out first. We didn't bring any money with us, and besides, we need a vehicle to transport these items. We'll have to borrow one from them. By the way, which location would be suitable for a warehouse?" Lan Xue walked over and said.
Everyone looked at Luo Zheng, whose gaze remained on the map. Hearing Lan Xue's question, he pointed to a small village near Fushan and said, "There are many temporary accommodations for outside visitors here, with plenty of bed and breakfasts. Rent one for storage. Who among you will keep watch there?"
"I'll do it. I can sketch. Appearing as an artist will allow to roam around without drawing suspicion; the concealnt is high. Is there anything in particular I should pay attention to or keep in mind?" Mountain Eagle volunteered.
"Good idea," Luo Zheng instructed, "The village is not too far from the military restricted area. Find a house with a view of the highway and record everything you see in detail. If you need anything, borrow it from the Embassy first."
"A pair of binoculars will suffice." Mountain Eagle said as he looked at Lan Xue. Seeing Lan Xue nod, Mountain Eagle imdiately smiled, "In that case, I'll go find a house to rent. Once I have it, I'll contact everyone."
Lan Xue saw that Luo Zheng had no more instructions, so she took everyone to leave, heading for the person in charge at the Embassy, while Luo Zheng continued to stare at the map, pondering over the conceived plan, considering its feasibility and potential issues. In the end, due to insufficient intelligence, he could not make a sound judgnt and was tornted by frustration.
After a while, Luo Zheng felt his head spinning and he sat down to rest. Lan Xue knocked and entered, and, seeing Luo Zheng's exhausted face, she felt deeply sympathetic. She brewed a cup of hot tea and handed it to him, saying, "You needn't be in such a hurry; we'll find a way eventually, just take it slow."
"There's no ti to wait," Luo Zheng said earnestly, "we know nothing about the underground prison, nor how Ye Laixiang is faring inside. Ye Laixiang has made a great contribution by revealing the exact location of the Japanese poison research base. Without her, we wouldn't have been able to destroy the base, thwart the poisons, and the future would be unpredictable. Therefore, we must rescue her as soon as possible."
"I understand," Lan Xue consoled, "but the more we rush, the more likely we are to make mistakes." Seeing that Luo Zheng did not insist further, she inwardly sighed with relief and continued, "I understand why you want a plan designer, but why gather combustibles?"
"Overpower the strongest with superior force," Luo Zheng sat up straight, his expression growing solemn. He put down the tea but realized Lan Xue was sowhat confused, so he explained, "The prison is like a turtle shell; we cannot crack it, smash it, nor lure anyone out. So let's set it on fire. Let's burn down Fushan completely. I want to see what they will do then." His firm face took on a frighteningly determined edge as he spoke.
"What?" Lan Xue was shocked by Luo Zheng's audacity. Yet after careful thought, she had to admit that the thod was feasible. She smiled wryly, "If it were us, we'd only be thinking of how to save the person and would never think to use this thod. You've got quite a nerve, and this way of thinking is too unconventional. But it might work, better at night. We'll lie in ambush halfway and seize the opportunity. If we can't smoke them out amidst the fire, we'll have to find another way."
"Fire is the lowest-risk option," Luo Zheng said coldly, his gaze resolute, "With a great fire, who knows who would be bold enough to do it? And if that doesn't work, we'll have to resort to kidnapping."
"Are you really planning to kidnap the Emperor?" Lan Xue asked in surprise.
"No, why kidnap the Emperor? Too dangerous, and the cost of exposure is too great, not worth it," Luo Zheng said. Seeing Lan Xue's puzzled face, he continued, "Hunters know a rule: to save a person from the jaws of a ferocious tiger, the best thod is to attack its cub. When the cub is attacked, the tiger will leave its prey to defend its young. The sa principle applies now."
"You're planning to kidnap the Emperor's descendant and then blackmail the Emperor into releasing our person?" Lan Xue asked in surprise, watching Luo Zheng. Seeing him nod, she thought out loud, "The honored grandson is favored by the Emperor; it's public knowledge. It's not difficult to kidnap him in public, but once exposed, the Emperor might not release our person due to various pressures."
"That's why we must proceed quietly and force the Emperor to release our person discreetly. We absolutely mustn't make this public. By doing so, the Emperor will have more options, and our chances of success will also be higher," Luo Zheng explained.
"Makes sense. But why start with a fire in Fushan instead of going straight for the kidnapping?" Lan Xue countered.
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